Standard for automatic stapling machine



Oct. 4, 1960 P. KAYE El AL STANDARD FOR AUTOMATIC STAPLING MACHINE Filed NOV. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 D o 0 0 0 O 0 O 1 4 1 47 L. VEA/TOP53 PHIL /p Kfl YE, FRHNK H. 640MB,

| HENRY BULL 1 Oct. 4, 1960 P. KAYE EI'AL 2,954,952

STANDARD FOR AUTOMATIC STAPLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PHIL 1P Kn WE, FRANK x9. GLOMB, HENRY C. EULL) United States atent O STANDARD FOR AUTOMATIC STAPLING momma Philip Kaye, Norridge, Frank A. Glomb, Park Forest,

and Henry "C. Bull, Herrin, Ill., assignors to International Staple and Machine Company, Herrin, 111., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. '21, 1955, Ser. No. 548,005 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-123) This invention relates to improvements in standards for adjustably positioning objects or tool devices and, in particular, is concerned with a standard having means for raising or lowering a device to a desired position upon a vertical standard, or moving the same through various arcuate positions. j

'The standard and supporting mechanisms of this invention have particular utility for supporting a work operating device, such as an automatic stapling machine, so that it may be quickly positioned over a roller conveyer for stapling carton flaps. The standard and its supporting mechanisms, however, are of broad utility, and it is to be understood that although this invention will be described with respect to the supporting of an automatic stapling machine, the invention can be used with other devices, as will be readily understood.

The standard of this invention is provided with a vertical rail or base upon which a balanced carriage can be positioned as desired. This carriage is balanced against a counterweighutand the design is such that manual operation may be accomplished by a mere finger control to raise or lower the carriage. The carriage upon which the automatic stapling machine is secured can be presented to its various stapling operations in the desired raised or lowered position, and, by means of a pivotable basefor the standard, can be shifted through a wide are on a horizontal plane. 7

Thus, by means of this invention, there has been provided astandard for supporting an automatic stapling 'machine whereby the machine can be easily controlled by.

a worker in a very simple and expedient operation. Once the machine has been positioned as desired, a braking or locking device is provided through pneumatic power or other locking means to lock the carriage and its stapling machine in fixed position upon the standard, so that a rigid and secure base is provided for the machine. Further advantages in the adjustable standard accrue through ease in operation and the readily available parts for maintenance when needed. The standard is rugged in construction, simple to install, and relatively inexpensive in cost.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a standard having an adjustable carriage which can be vertically and laterally adjusted throughsaid standard.

Another object of this invention is to provide a standard having a carriage which is adjustable thereon through a manual operation, and in which the carriage is balanced upon the standard by a counterweight.

A further object of this invention is to provide a standand having a wheeled carriage which is adapted to support a work-performing or tool device, and in which the carriage may be. adjusted vertically upon said standard.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a standard having a wheeled carriage which is vertically adjustable, and in which a balanced relation is had between the carriage and the standard through a counterweight.

I Still another object of this invention is to-provide a standard having awheeled carn'age'which is vertically adjustable upon said wheels and upon the standard, and

in which the carriage may be locked in place by pneu-.

biased guiding means cooperating between the carriage and the standard. J

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a standard having. a verticallyadjustable carriage for sup porting a stapling machine so as to be vertically adjustable, and in which the adjustment can be manually oper-. ated and easily controlledwith provision being made for locking the carriage and stapling machine in place upon' the standard by a pneumatic braking device.

' Another object of this invention is to provide a standard having a vertically and laterally adjustable carriage in which the vertical adjustments may be easily and simply made in a minimum of time through a simple operating construction having rugged and long-lasting qualities.

7 Further objects of this invention will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be further apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration, the standard and adjustable carriage are shown in the accompanying draw ings in conjunction with an automatic stapling machine and conveyer apparatus for stapling carton flaps. It is to be understoodthat this is for the purpose of example only, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the standard,

the stapling machine and a conveyer apparatus; Figure 2 ista view in side elevation of the standard, stapling machine and conveyer apparatus;

Figure 3 is a view in section taken on lines 3'3 of Figures 1 and 2 showing the standard and its supporting.

structure;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in: section taken along the showing the carriage balancaxis of the standard at its top ing means; 7

Figure 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, showing the construction of the pulley balancing means;

Figure 6 is a view in section taken on the line 66 of Figure 4, showing further details of the standard construction;

Figure 7 is an enlarged view in front elevation taken on the line 77 of Figure 2, showing the carriage mounted upon the standard;

Figure 8 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 88 of Figure 2, showing the carriage motulted upon the' standard in unlocked position; .and a a Figure 9 is an enlarged plan view of the carriage supf porting arm -to which the stapling machine is attached.

In Figures 1 and 2, the standard of this invention is-generally indicated at 20. This standard is provided with a port legs 25.

i The standerd 20, as best shown inFiguresZ and 3, has

as its main guide element a track 26' whichis a hollow shell having arect'angular cross section. "Two circular sleeves 27'and 28 are secured to the track and are su'p ported to the table, leg 25 by the brackets 31 and 32;

which fit around the sleeves. be rotated within the brackets.

The carriage 21, as best shown in Figures 2, 7 and 8, comprises a housing 33 having a front plate 34. Guide wheels 35 and 36 are mounted at therear of the housing in brackets 37 and 38 secured to the housing wall in adjustable relation. =These guide wheels aread'apted to bear against the adjacent wall surfaces of the track 26 as shown in Figure 8. The brackets '37 and 38 are each secured to the wall of the housing as mentioned above by a pair of bolts 39 which are situated on opposed sides of the wheels 35 and 36.

The front plate 34, as shown in Figure 8, has two This permits the track to indicated, may be of conventional type andis designed forrciprocable operation within the casting through the extent determined by thelnovement of the piston rod within thepiston chamber.

A hand-operated switch 88 is indicated in Figure l and may be mounted upon the stapling machine head 86. This switch provides for the introduction of compressed airthrough the conduit 83 to the piston, so as to cause the stapling machine head 86 to travel downbrake surfaces 41 and 42 which are normally in engagement with the adjacentfront walls of ,the track 26, but are adapted to be released from engagement when a lock, to be described, is operated. The front plate 34 is further provided, as shown in Figures 2 and 7, with.

upper and lower guide wheel brackets 43 and '44, respec tively, which support grooved guide wheels 45 and 46.-

The carriage support arm 22, which is bolted to the automatic stapling machinemount 23 at one end, is bolted at its other end by means of a flange 47 to the front plate 34 by aplurality of bolts '48. A web 49, as shown in Figures 2 and 9, extends vertically above the end of the arm secured to the front plate, and is provided with an eyelet 51 which is used to anchor one end of a cable 52 used in the balancing means.

The balancing mechanism is illustrated in Figures 2, 4 and 5. It comprises the cable 52 which passes over a pulley wheel 53 mounted in a housing 54 at the top of the track 26. The mounting is effected by a shaft 55 of the pulley wheel fitting through the housing 54, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The cable 52 extends around the pulley wheel from its anchored eyelet 51 to. the opposite end which is anchored to a counterweight ,56. This counterweight is of approximately the weight of the stapling machine and the carriage, so as to provide a balance therefor. It fits freely within the shell of the track 26 so that it can be vertically adjusted therein.

A carriage lock is shown in Figure 2 and is generally indicated at 61. It comprises a piston chamber 62 hav- Wardly. A contact switch 89* is provided at the bottom of the stapling machine. This switch is conventionally arranged so as to operate when it contacts the top of a carton to interrupt the introduction of compressed air to the piston; and stop the downward movement of the stapling machine head.

, operation of the switch, compressed air is introduced through a conduit 91 to the stapling machine head to effect the operation of the stapling machine components and complete a stapling operation.

Operation understood byreferring to Figures 2 and 8. In the uning a port 63 which is adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air. Situated within the piston chamber is a piston 64 having a piston rod 65 which extends through an opening in the rear of the carriage housing,

The end of the piston rod is secured to a brake element 66 having converging surfaces 67 and 68 which are in generally mating relation to the adjacent rear walls of the track 26. These surfaces are normally in contact therewith as compressed air is admitted to the piston chamber, but are adapted to be released when compressed air is vented from the piston chamber. A biasing spring 69 acts to urge the piston rod and brake away from engagement with the track walls when the compressed air pressure is reduced by the operation of an electrically operated valve.

In order to control the operation of the brake, an electrically operated valve 71 may be mounted at the base of the track 26. This valve normally open to a source of compressed air through conduit 7 2 on one side,

i and on the other side is connected to an air hose 73 locked position, when the switch 74 is depressed the wheels 35 and 36 bear against the rearwalls of the track while the wheels 45 and 46 upon ,the carriage hear I against the corner of the track made by the two adjacent front walls. The carriage is freely balanced by means of thecounterweight 56. and the connecting cable 52 which passes over, the pulley wheel 53. p

In this condition, the carriage can be raised and lowered very easily and with no real manual effort required. An operator can grasp thecasting 81 of the stapling machine and apply a raising or lowering force thereto which raises thecarriage or lowers it to the desired position. Once the force of this raising or loweringis discontinued, the carriage will rest in place because of the balanced effect due to the counterweight 56. V

When itis desired'to lock the carriage in place when a'stapling operation is to'be performed, and against the force of any manual effort to remove it from the locked position, the switch 74 is released. This electrical switch causes the opening of valve 71 which opens a port in the valve to allow the passage of compressed air from conduit 72 to conduit 73 andinto the piston chambers 62 of the lock'61. The, compressed air forces the piston 64 and the brake element 66, toward the rear walls of the track '26. This action takes place against the biasing spring 69 and causes the brake element surfaces 67 and 68 to contact the rear walls of the track and to draw up, the brake surfaces 42 and 43 of the front plate of the carriage against the front walls of the track 26. Thus, the carriage is caused to move slightly to the rear and in binding or braking effect will continue and the carriage canleading to the port 63 of thepiston chamber. The closing of the valve 71 is electrically controlled by, a switch which is of the press button type, and is indicated at 74 as being mounted on the front of the stapling machine 23.

The automatic stapling machine 23 comprises a casting 81 connected to the support arm 22 of the carriage. This casting mounts an air cylinder 82at the top which is connected to the source of air power through conduit 83 and to a stapling machine proper, generally indicated at 86. A plurality of guide rods 87 is slidably received within the casting and is attached to the stapling ma chine for the proper reciprocal operation thereof within the casting. The stapling machine 86, which is generally.-

not be moved. However, when the switch 74 is depressed,

the valve 71 closes and the compressed airrin the piston chamber is permitted, to bleed off, the piston 64 will be returned. to the position shown in Figure 8, and the brake element 66 will be-unlocked from the track of the standard.

It will be readily seen that the carriage may be raised or lowered to any desired position so as to accommodate cartons of varying sizes which are placed upon the conveyer 24. In addition, wherev it is desired that the carriage be laterally shifted a small degree, this canbe accommodated by rotating the standard within its sleeves 27 and 28 by loosening brackets" 31 and 32, and then retightening them when the standard has been shiftedto the desired position: Thus," vertical and lateral movements Simultaneously through the In its use with the automatic stapling machine 23, the carriage is manually positioned in the manner aforedescribed until the bottom of the stapling machine head element '88 is just slightly above the top of a carton so that the canton may freely fit underneath. When this positioning has been effected, the carriage is locked in place by releasing the switch 74.

The stapling machine head is then operated by actuating the switch 88. This introduces air into the piston 82 through the air conduit 83 and causes the stapling machine 86 attached to the piston rod 85 to be lowered. This lowering continues a short distance until the bottom switch 89 contacts the top of the carton. As this is done, the switch automatically cuts off the air pressure to the cylinder .82 and opens air pressure through conduit 91 into the stapling machine components. These stapling machine components are then operated so as to drive a staple into retractable anvils which pierce carton flaps and complete the stapling operation in a conventional manner.

Thus, there has been provided in the standard apparatus a complete means for raising, lowering and laterally positioning a carriage for supporting any Work-performing device. The raising and lowering can be effected by fingertip force applied to the carriage. This can be easily and expeditiously accomplished with a minimum of time and labor. Further, the locking and braking device provides for a sure and positive lock of the carriage in any desired position.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the apparatus of this invention, as Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations are within the scope of this invention, as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for supporting a stapling machine or the like in vertically adjustable positions, said apparatus comprising a vertical track having exterior wall surfaces forming a polygon in cross section, a supporting carriage comprising a housing enclosing said track, guide means mounted on the interior of said carriage and having wheels engaging separate but adjacent wall surfaces of said track, said guide means being independently adjustable to and away from said track from the exterior of said housing normal to said wall surfaces respectively, further guide means comprising wheels mounted in vertical alignment on said carriage in opposed relation to 6 and respectively above and below said first-mentioned wheels, means for locking said carriage upon said track against movement, said locking means comprising a movable brake element mounted upon the carriage and which is adapted when applied to bear against one portion of said track in locking engagement and a fixed brake element on said carriage adapted to bear against an opposed portion of said track for locking engagement when said movable brake element is so applied, and operating means for selectively moving said brake element by fluid pressure into locking engagement with the track.

2. Apparatus for supporting a stapling machine or the like in vertically adjustable position, said apparatus comprising a vertical track of square cross section, a supporting carriage comprising a housing enclosing said track, counterbalance means operatively connected to said carriage, guide means mounted on said carriage for cooperation with said track, said guide means comprising generally opposed pairs of rollers, one of said pairs having the rollers vertically spaced, the other of said pairs having the rollers laterally spaced and within said housing, said vertically spaced rollers being arranged one above and one below said housing and the level of said laterally spaced rollers, the aforesaid vertically spaced rollers having grooved faces for guiding cooperation with one corner of said cross section, the aforesaid laterally spaced rollers being in opposed relation to said vertically spaced rollers and having flat faces for respective load bearing abutment with two converging flat sides of said cross section which are remote from said one corner, and selective power applied frictional locking means for retaining said carriage at selected elevations, said locking means including a fixed surface on said carriage adapted for selective compressive abutment with one portion of said track and a movable surface within said housing adapted to press against an opposed portion of said track when said locking means are applied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 722,894 Potter May 17, 1903 1,371,011 Waite Mar. 8, 1921 1,497,499 Girard June 10, 1924 1,634,162 Tesk June 28, 1927 2,051,508 Wildeboer Aug. 18, 1936 2,525,712 Neighbour Oct. 10, 1950 

